LOCATION TABOOSE CA
Established Series
Rev. ET-CEJ-MAV-JVC
07/2016
TABOOSE SERIES
The Taboose series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian volcanic ash over basalt cinders. Taboose soils are on vegetated areas of recent lava flows. Slopes are 5 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 180 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 12.8 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, nonacid, thermic Vitrandic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Taboose very gravelly ashy loamy fine sand--on an 8 percent east-facing slope under Nevada ephedra, Fremont's dalea, and desert needlegrass at 1,295 meters elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described June 25, 1979 the soil was dry throughout.) The soil surface is partially covered with 1 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 40 percent gravel.
A--0 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial and vesicular pores; 1 percent stones, 15 percent cobbles, and 35 percent gravel (cinders); neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick).
C--13 to 64 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine and common medium roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 1 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles and 20 percent gravel (cinders); slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual wavy boundary. (38 to 51 cm thick).
2C--64 to 152 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely stony ashy loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, and 40 percent gravel (cinders); silica coats on bottoms of cinders; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Inyo County, California; about 4.75 miles south of Big Pine on the Crater Mountain lava flow; 1,500 feet north and 100 feet east of the southwest corner of section 9, T. 10 S., R. 34 E.; USGS Fish Springs 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 5 minutes 28 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 16 minutes 17 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 37.0911111 latitude, -118.2713889 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil is usually dry from about April 30 to November 30, and is moist in some or all parts of the control section the rest of the time. The soil temperature is above 8.3 degrees C. from about March 1 to December 15, but is rarely below 5 degrees C.; aridic (torric) moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 15 to 15.6 degrees C.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 3 to 10 percent; Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent, mainly gravel and stones. Lithology of fragments are basaltic cinders; Volcanic glass content: 30 to 50 percent in coarse silt thorough fine sand fractions.
Other features - A surface pavement of stones, cobbles, and gravel covers 35 to 70 percent of the soil surface. Gravel and cobbles dominate and surface stone cover ranges from 1 to 3 percent.
A horizon - Dry color: 10YR 5/3 or 6/3.
Moist color: 10YR 3/3 or 4/3.
Texture: Very gravelly ashy loamy fine sand or very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent, with 1 to 3 percent stones, 10 to 20 percent cobbles, and 20 to 60 percent gravel.
Organic matter content: 0.5 to 1 percent.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
2C2 horizon - Dry color: 10YR 4/1, 4/3, 5/3, 5/4, or 6/3.
Moist color: 10YR 3/3, 3/4, or 4/3.
Texture: Extremely stony ashy loamy fine sand, very stony ashy loamy fine sand, or extremely stony ashy fine sandy loam.
Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 80 percent, with 15 to 25 percent stones, 5 to 30 percent cobbles, and 40 to 60 percent gravel.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Taboose soils are on vegetated areas of recent basalt lava flows containing many cinder cones. These soils formed in eolian volcanic ash over basalt cinders. Slopes are 5 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 1,160 meters to 1,590 meters. The mean annual precipitation is 100 to 200 mm. Typic aridic moisture reguime. The mean annual temperature is 12.2 to 13.3 degrees C., mean January temperature is about 2.8 degrees C., and the mean July temperature is about 24 degrees C. The frost-free period is 175 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Lava flows is a miscellaneous land type associated with Taboose soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately rapid over rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Taboose soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is mainly Nevada ephedra, desert needlegrass, Fremont's dalea, bud sagebrush, shadscale, and spiny hopsage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central California. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 29.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Inyo County, California, Benton-Owens Valley area, 1997.
REMARKS: The soil temperature regime is on the cool end of thermic. The mean annual soil temperature is 15 to 15.6 degrees C. and it is extrapolated from actual temperature transect data from past years using Rod Arkley's equation.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the C horizon).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 150 cm with more than 30 percent volcanic glass and the zone from 64 to 150 cm with more than 35 percent cinders (A, C, and 2C horizons).
Particle-size control section and ashy-skeletal substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (parts of the C1 and 2C2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.